County moves forward with data-center hardware refresh and three-year phone contract

The Mifflin County Board of Commissioners approved a quote to refresh the county’s data-center hardware and also authorized a three-year agreement with TeleSystem for voice-over-IP services at its Feb. 19 meeting.

Aaron Feler, who presented the information to the board, said the county’s core infrastructure was purchased in 2019–20 and normally operates on a roughly seven-year replacement cycle. He told commissioners that continuing to maintain the existing equipment for another season would likely cost “approximately $30,000 to $40,000” in maintenance for hardware the county plans to phase out, and that current market volatility has driven parts prices higher. For those reasons staff recommended accelerating the replacement to 2026.

The board approved accepting a vendor quote from Winslow Technology Group for the refresh; the amount read into the record was $224,888.22. Commissioners also approved a three-year TeleSystem contract for the county’s phone service. Staff said a recent phone audit reduced the number of active lines and that the negotiated agreement will lower the county’s monthly telecom bill by about $2,000, yielding roughly $20,000 in savings over a 12-month period.

Commissioners thanked staff for pursuing cost savings and approved both motions by voice vote. Staff said the refresh keeps the project broadly within the county’s cost projections made in 2022 and positions county systems for the next several years.